Table Of ContentSetting Up Shot
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Setting Shot
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Skog
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Plants growing out of people’s heads. Washed-out S
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colors. Red eyes. Sound like photos you’ve taken? With
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t
a little planning, you can avoid common photography in
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mistakes. Flip inside for tips on setting up your shot,
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finding the right light, and playing with perspective. p
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Photography
Teens
for p
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Focusing on the practical advice you need to g
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shoot amazing photos, Photography for Teens a
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shows what to do and what not to do—without h
y
getting bogged down in technical details. No
V.
matter what kind of camera you have, you’ll 1
find useful tips, advice, and inspiration.
P h o t o g r a p h y V o l u m e 1
by Jason Skog
Teens
Photography for
Reinforced Library Binding
Teens
Photography for
Setting Up
Shot
the
P h o t o g r a p h y V o l u m e 1
by Jason Skog
Content Consultant:
Kevin Jeffrey
Professional Photographer
Compass Point Books
1710 Roe Crest Drive
North Mankato, MN 56003
Copyright © 2012 by Compass Point Books, a Capstone imprint.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written
permission from the publisher. The publisher takes no responsibility for the
use of any of the materials or methods described in this book, nor for the
products thereof.
Editor: Jill Kalz
Designer: Ashlee Suker
Media Researcher: Svetlana Zhurkin
Production Specialist: Danielle Ceminsky
This book was manufactured with paper containing
at least 10 percent post-consumer waste.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cataloging-in-publication information is on file with the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-0-7565-4489-8 (library binding)
ISBN 978-0-7565-4532-1 (paperback)
Image Credits:
Ashlee Suker, back cover (middle), 7, 10, 21, 39; Capstone Studio: Karon Dubke,
back cover (bottom), 8, 9, 12, 14, 15, 20, 22, 24, 25, 32, 33, 40, 41, 44; Dreamstime:
Nickolay Stanev, 27, Toxawww, cover; iStockphoto: Igor Balasanov, 19; Jill Kalz, 31,
35, 43; Shutterstock: aggressor (pencil scribble), throughout, Anan Kaewkhammul,
28, Andrejs Pidjass, 18, Andy Z., 42, Elena Elisseeva, 30, GSPhotography, 16, Iakov
Filimonov, 5, Irina Bort, 38, Jason Stitt, 29, JGW Images, 37, Laurin Rinder, 36,
michaeljung, 4, monalisha (dotted circle), throughout, ntwowe, 1 (middle), 17, Olga
Lyubkina, 34, Ryger (background texture), throughout, Tatjana Brila, 23, val r, 26;
Svetlana Zhurkin, back cover (top), 6, 11, 13
Printed in the United States of America in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
102011 006404WZS12
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Chapter
Composition: Putting Your
1
Shot Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Chapter
2 The Right Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Chapter
3 Types of Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
On the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Select Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Introduction
For many of us, taking photographs is about getting friends or
family to look at the camera, counting 1-2-3, and having them
say “cheese!” Click. End of story. Maybe there’s an occasional
picture of the family dog, a flower, or a breathtaking sunset. But
for the most part, we don’t put much thought into our photos. And
the thing is, you can take amazing shots if you just know how to
set them up. If you’re interested in going beyond the usual, and
getting more out of your camera, this book’s a great start. Its tips
and tricks will teach you to THINK before you CLICK.
Taking photos of friends is quick and easy with a basic point-and-shoot digital camera .
4
1
r
e
Composition: t
p
a
h
C
Putting Your Shot Together
Professional-level
N
digital cameras
have lenses that o matter what kind of camera you have, there are basic
can be swapped
out for different rules and guidelines to follow before you press the
kinds of shots .
button and take your photo. First you have to decide how to
frame your subject. Where do you want that person, flower, or
building placed with respect to the background and other objects
in the shot? How do you make everything within the frame work
together? Here are some ideas.
Framing Techniques
An easy way to set up a photograph is to use the rule of
thirds. The rule divides the frame into thirds horizontally and
55
vertically. By placing your subject along one of the lines or at the
point where the lines intersect, you’ll often create a photograph
that grabs people’s attention. Artists and photographers alike
compose images based on this one simple rule, usually without
even thinking about it.
This peacock’s eye is placed at an intersection point on the rule of thirds grid .
The golden spiral is another technique to help frame your
shot. It works well when you have multiple elements in a single
scene. The golden spiral looks like a snail’s shell. It’s a very
balanced, naturally pleasing shape. To use this technique,
overlay an imaginary golden spiral on your scene, placing the
spiral’s start point on your main subject. See if you can make the
other elements in the scene fall along the spiral’s line.
6
The golden spiral technique places the main subject (the woman) at the spiral’s start point .
ON The GrId
Some cameras have an option to place a grid of thirds
over the display screen. Normally found under the “display”
settings, you can turn the function on or off to help you set
up a photograph. Practice with these grid lines for a bit. Get
used to seeing scenes in thirds. You might soon find you no
longer need the extra help.
7
Do It!
Step 1
Go to a park and pick a subject, such as a merry-go-round, a bike, or your
best friend. Center your subject in the middle of the camera frame.
Step 2
Now imagine a grid overlaying the scene and dividing it into thirds.
8
Step 3
Move until your subject sits at a point where the lines come together.
Which image do you find more interesting: centered or not-centered?
Step 4
Continue playing with the subject’s placement, moving it to other
intersection points or along a whole line.
9
